Super Mario World
, also known in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 4 (as a subtitle, with Super Mario World being the main title; this subtitle was also the working title for the game) , is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), and is the seventh game in the Super Mario series. Development was handled by Nintendo's Research & Development Team 4, led by Shigeru Miyamoto, who directed the game along with Takashi Tezuka. The game centers on the quest of Mario and Luigi to save the Dinosaur Land from Bowser, the series' antagonist. The two brothers must travel across eight worlds to restore order to Dinosaur Land. It built on the gameplay of previous Mario games by introducing new power-ups that augment character abilities, and established conventions that were carried over to future games in the series. The game was a critical and commercial success, gaining a legacy and selling over 20 million copies worldwide. It has been re-released three times, first as part of a combo with Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES in 1994. Secondly, it was released on the Game Boy Advance with modified gameplay, as the second part of the Super Mario Advance series. The third re-release was for the Wii's Virtual Console in North America in 2007; there were little changes from the original SNES version. Gameplay Super Mario World is a two-dimensional platform game in which the player controls the on-screen protagonist (either Mario or Luigi) from a third-person perspective. The game shares similar gameplay mechanics with previous titles in the series—''Super Mario Bros., ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and Super Mario Bros. 3—but introduces several new elements. In addition to the running and jumping moves found in past games, the player can float with the aid of special items and execute new types of jumps such as the spin jump. The player navigates through the game via two game screens: an overworld map and a level playfield. The overworld map displays an overhead representation of the current world and has several paths leading from the world's entrance to a castle. Paths connect to action panels, fortresses and other map icons, and allow players to take different routes to reach the world's goal. Moving the on-screen character to an action panel or fortress will allow access to that level's playfield, a linear stage populated with obstacles and enemies. The majority of the game takes place in these levels, with the player traversing the stage by running, jumping, and dodging or defeating enemies. Completing stages allows the player to progress through the overworld map and to succeeding worlds. Each world features a final stage with a boss to defeat; the first six worlds feature fortresses controlled by one of the Koopalings, while the player battles Bowser in his castle in the seventh world. Other map icons include large boulders and locked doors that impede paths, and special minigames that provide the player a chance to obtain special power-ups. In addition to special items from previous games like the "Super Mushroom" and "Fire Flower", new power-ups are introduced that provide the player with new gameplay options. The new suit in the game is the cape feather, which gives Mario a cape and allows him to fly for a short period of time. Super Mario World includes a multiplayer option which allows two players to cooperatively play the game by taking turns at navigating the overworld map and accessing stage levels; the first player controls Mario, while the other controls Luigi. The game introduces Yoshi, a dinosaur companion whom Mario can ride and is able to eat most enemies. Plot After saving the Mushroom Kingdom, brothers Mario and Luigi agree to take a vacation to a place called Dinosaur Land, where there are many types of dinosaurs. While resting in the beach, however, Princess Peach disappears. When Mario and Luigi wake up they try to find her and, after hours of searching, come across a giant egg in the forest. It suddenly hatches and out of it comes a young dinosaur named Yoshi, who then tells them that his dinosaur friends have also been imprisoned in eggs by evil turtles. Mario and Luigi soon realize that it must be the evil King Koopa Bowser and his koopalings. Mario, Luigi and Yoshi set out to save Princess Peach and Yoshi's dinosaur friends, exploring Dinosaur Land for Bowser and his koopalings. To aid him, Yoshi gives Mario a cape as they begin their journey. Mario and Luigi continue to follow Bowser defeating the koopalings in the process and save all of Yoshi's dinosaur friends. They eventually make it to Bowser's castle, where they fight him in a final battle. They defeat Bowser and save the Princess, restoring peace to Dinosaur Land. Development The game was directed by Takashi Tezuka and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and The Legend of Zelda, with Shigefumi Hino as the graphics designer. Development was handled by Miyamoto's Research & Development Team 4. It took three years to develop the game with a team of sixteen people. Miyamoto stated, however, that he felt that the game was incomplete and that development was rushed, voicing hope that with time the games for the system would allow for more emotion and story. Miyamoto stated that he had wanted Mario to have a dinosaur companion ever since Super Mario Bros.; however, Nintendo engineers could not fit the companion into the limitations of the Nintendo Entertainment System. He said that "we were finally able to get Yoshi off the drawing boards with the SNES". Yoshi came in one size and all colors, with different powers and huge appetites. At the time, Nintendo was late to the 16-bit video game market, which was slowly being conquered by Sega's Mega Drive console.Game Over by David Sheff, 1993, Random House. A new game, Sonic the Hedgehog, helped create numerous sales and increased popularity for Sega. Super Mario World arrived in 1991 alongside the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Re-releases After the success of Super Mario World, the game was packaged in a special version of Super Mario All-Stars titled Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World, which was released in 1994 in the United States and in Europe as the pack-in game for the SNES "Super Mario Set" bundle. In 2001, Super Mario World was ported by Nintendo R&D2 to the Game Boy Advance as Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. Some levels were minimally changed, but the most noticeable alteration was the fact that the game was now for one player only, instead of two. Luigi was still usable, but this time as an alternate character; he could jump higher than Mario, but he ran slightly more slowly (Mario and Luigi were also given voices). His sprites were changed once again, his appearance harkening more to the original Super Mario Advance game, which was based on Super Mario Bros. 2. Super Mario World was one of the first games to be announced for the Wii's Virtual Console. It was released in Japan on December 2, 2006; in the United States on February 5, 2007. A short timed demo of the game is one of the unlockable "Masterpieces" in the 2008 Wii game Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Music Kōji Kondō composed all of the music used in Super Mario World, using only an electronic keyboard. Most of the music performed in the game, with the exception of the music played in the title screen, the credits, the overworld map, and fighting Bowser, is a variation on the same melody. The music is played normally on the overworld levels. It is then slowed down and made to echo in caverns, moves in a slow, wave-like fashion (in 3/4 or waltz time) in Underwater levels, and in the athletic theme it is played fast and lively to suit the level taking place in the air. When riding on Yoshi, the soundtrack of any level is accompanied by bongo drums. Impact Super Mario World was well-received upon release. The game continued to receive favorable reviews for many years. On GameRankings the game received very positive scores, with a 97% average score. Allgame gave the game five stars out of five, praising the graphics, sound, and replay value. It was ranked as the eighth best game for a Nintendo console in Nintendo Power s "Top 200 Games" list. . Official Nintendo Magazine ranked the game seventh in its "100 greatest Nintendo games of all time". Famitsu readers ranked it 61st in the magazine's list of the top 100 video games. In 2009, a poll conducted by British film magazine Empire voted it "the greatest game of all time." In the Virtual Console review of the game, IGN said that the game should be downloaded by pepole who did not own the Gameboy version of the game and gave it an 8.5 out of 10, a Great score. Super Mario World has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time. As a pack-in title for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Mario World helped popularize the console, which has sold 49.10 million units worldwide, including 23.35 million in the Americas and 17.17 million in Japan. In a poll conducted in 2008, Yoshi was voted as the third-favorite video game character in Japan, with Cloud Strife and Mario placing second and first, respectively. Legacy Less than a month after the game's American release, DiC Entertainment produced a Super Mario World animated series based on the game, although some of the game's elements and names were renamed or changed. DiC Entertainment later released Super Mario All Stars, which was a compilation of previous Super Mario cartoons. A spinoff to Super Mario World was planned for the Philips CD-i, known as Super Mario's Wacky Worlds by NovaLogic, but was canceled during development. The game produced a sequel called Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. The character of Yoshi has returned in several Mario games; he can be ridden in Super Mario Sunshine, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2, and makes a cameo appearance in Super Mario 64. Computer version Windows Released December 2001 System requirements *Windows 95/98/NT *Intel 12 MHz processor or higher *4 MB RAM *1.44 MB floppy drive or double-speed CD-ROM *64 MB of disk space Macintosh Released December 1993 System requirements *Motorola 16MHz or higher *4 MB RAM (8MB RAM recommended) *System 7.0.1 or higher *32,000 Color, 512x384 Display or Better *800 KB or 1.44 MB floppy drive or double-speed CD-ROM References External links * [http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/shvc/mw/index.html Official Nintendo Japan Super Mario World site] * Super Mario World at Super Mario Wiki * The Mushroom Kingdom * Mario Mayhem Category:1990 video games Category:Bundled games Category:Mario platform games Category:Mario Universe games Category:Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development games Category:Nintendo Research & Development 2 games Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Category:Video games developed in Japan Category:Virtual Console games